20 83% 28% 3mph N bar29.94 falls windchill17 Yuletide
Waning Gibbous Cold Moon
“The most beautiful thing in the world is, of course, the world itself.” – Wallace Stevens
excerpts from Wallace Stevens, “The Idea of Order at Key West”
She sang beyond the genius of the sea.
The water never formed to mind or voice,
Like a body wholly body, fluttering
Its empty sleeves; and yet its mimic motion
Made constant cry, caused constantly a cry,
That was not ours although we understood,
Inhuman, of the veritable ocean…
Ramon Fernandez, tell me, if you know,
Why, when the singing ended and we turned
Toward the town, tell why the glassy lights,
The lights in the fishing boats at anchor there,
As the night descended, tilting in the air,
Mastered the night and portioned out the sea,
Fixing emblazoned zones and fiery poles,
Arranging, deepening, enchanting night.
Oh! Blessed rage for order, pale Ramon,
The maker’s rage to order words of the sea,
Words of the fragrant portals, dimly-starred,
And of ourselves and of our origins,
In ghostlier demarcations, keener sounds.
A tour today with blue t-shirted Minnetonka Explorers: Maddie, Kaly, Ashley, Harry, Ryan, Nelson and Sophia (twins), Katie, Ellie, Lucy. When asked what grade they were, Maddie said, “We’re all kindergartners! And Katie is my moustache.” She went on to explain that, though Katie is her elder by some months, she only comes up to Maddie’s upper lip and is therefore her mustache. Giggles.
We had a great time looking at paintings and installations. We sang Jacob’s song along the way. When asked where it was from Maddie said, “It was Jacob’s Colorful Dreamcoat. And we got to sit on stage for the whole performance.”
We found bunnies and boats and radishes and ghosts and monsters in the Yves Tanguy, marveled at how much the cords looked like both waves and mountains in the installation with children’s portraits (and wondered where they plugged it in.)
In Van Dyck’s Betrayal of Christ conversation focused on the man choking the monster in the lower left. A fun group.
